Arts Picks: Esplanade’s da:ns focus, bel canto opera and A French Kiss In Singapore
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Lived Fiction is a multi-sensory work that blends choreography with innovative sound and visual design with accessibility features woven in.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
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da:ns focus – EveryBody
Get ready for a weekend of dance at the Esplanade’s inclusive dance programme, EveryBody, which returns from April 9 to 13 with a line-up of over 20 performances, talks, workshops and dance-along sessions.
This third edition of da:ns focus is part of four themed weekends spanning the year.
Esplanade producer Iris Cheung said in a statement: “EveryBody presents high-quality performances and experiences centred on inclusivity, diversity and participation.”
A highlight is Lived Fiction by UK-based Stopgap Dance Company, featuring seven performers with and without disabilities performing through movement and spoken word.
The multi-sensory work integrates accessibility with choreography, enhancing the experience for diverse audiences, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, are disabled or neurodivergent.
This is the show’s Asian premiere after a successful run in the UK.
The company will be conducting a ticketed workshop on inclusive choreographic practices for dance and movement professionals keen to learn about inclusive dance work.
The company’s co-artistic director Lucy Bennett is also giving a talk about creative access, as well as the artistic approach and process behind Lived Fiction. Admission is free by registration.
People can also pop by for free dance sessions conducted by Singapore companies, including hip-hop by Redeafination and flamenco by Spanish Dance Singapore.
The Esplanade offers concessions for persons with disabilities, and all venues are wheelchair-accessible.
Where: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive str.sg/i4P8
MRT: City Hall/Esplanade
When: April 9 to 13, various timings
Admission: Free and ticketed
Info:
Queens And Divas Of The Bel Canto
Queens And Divas Of The Bel Canto explores the revolutionary early 19th-century bel canto era in Italian opera.
PHOTO: LIRICA ARTS
Lirica Arts’ third instalment in its Opera 101 series explores the revolutionary early 19th-century bel canto era in Italian opera, which laid the foundations for today’s operatic canon. The role of the female singer crystallised into that of the diva, with women taking on spectacular arias that showcased vocal virtuosity.
Performed in Italian with English and Chinese surtitles, the programme is curated by co-artistic director of The Opera People, Shridar Mani. It presents arias by the trio of composers who helped define the era – Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini.
The performance lecture will map the changing roles of women on the operatic stage through the lives and legacies of four legendary singers – Maria Malibran, Giuditta Pasta, Giulia Grisi and Pauline Viardot.
Expect lots of vocal fireworks from bel canto experts including sopranos Serine de Labaume and Renata Hann.
Where: Esplanade Recital Studio, 1 Esplanade Drive sistic.com.sg/events/opera0425
MRT: City Hall/Esplanade
When: April 17, 7.30pm
Admission: $35 and $49 via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555), 10 per cent discount for senior citizens and students, 15 per cent discount for bulk purchases of 10 or more tickets
Info:
A French Kiss In Singapore
The cast of A French Kiss In Singapore (clockwise from top left) – Andrew Marko, Rino Junior John, Dwayne Lau, Amin Alifin and Hossan Leong.
PHOTO: SING' THEATRE
First staged in 2013, this musical revue pays tribute to four of France’s most iconic singer-songwriters – Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet.
Presented by Sing’theatre and directed by Hossan Leong, the production features an ensemble of Singapore talent including theatre veterans Andrew Marko, Dwayne Lau and Leong himself.
The show has earned a ratings advisory for sexual content from the Infocomm Media Development Authority, which led Leong to express his concerns on LinkedIn. He said the performance contains no sexual content, adding that such an advisory is “damaging” for the show’s box office.
Those familiar with French pop will know that the singers celebrated in the show were the Ed Sheerans and Bruno Mars of their time, heart-throbs who redefined French chansons with their songs.
Where: Sota Drama Theatre, 1 Zubir Said Drive sistic.com.sg/events/frenchkiss0425
MRT: Dhoby Ghaut
When: April 17 to 27, Tuesdays to Fridays, 8pm; Saturdays, 4 and 8pm; Sundays, 3 and 7pm
Admission: $40 to $74 via Sistic
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